Lift apparatus for raising wall sections

ABSTRACT

Lift apparatus for raising wall sections from a prone position to an upright position comprises at least one lift assembly including a socket-like pivotal base, an upright support having the lower end releasably inserted into the pivotal base adapted to pivot with the base as the wall section is raised, and a movable lift member slidable up the upright support adapted to receive an upper end portion of the wall section and raise with the wall section as lifting forces are applied to the wall section and automatically latch against downward movement as the lifting forces are removed. For raising longer wall sections two or more similar lift assemblies are located at spaced intervals along the wall section and alternately raised in incremental distances until the wall section is upright.

llite States atent 1 Jones et al.

[ 1 Apr. 17, 1973 1 1 lLIF T APPARATUS FOR RAISING WALL SECTIONS [76] Inventors: Kenneth Jones, 1007] West 9th Drive; Willard E. Patterson, 1250 Lee Street, both of Lakewood, Colo. 80215 [22] Filed: Nov. 5, 1971 [211 App]. No.: 196,145

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Great Britain ..52/127 Primary Examiner-Othell M. Simpson Assistant Examiner-Robert C. Watson Attorney-Reilly & Lewis ABSTRACT Lift apparatus for raising wall sections from a prone position to an upright position comprises at least one lift assembly including a socket-like pivotal base, an upright support having the lower end releasably inserted into the pivotal base adapted to pivot with the base as the wall section is raised, and a movable lift member slidable up the upright support adapted to receive an upper end portion of the wall section and raise with the wall section as lifting forces are applied to the wall section and automatically latch against downward movement as the lifting forces are removed. For raising longer wall sections two or more similar lift assemblies are located at spaced intervals along the wall section and alternately raised in incremental distances until the wall section is upright.

12 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures LIFT APPARATUS FOR RAISING WALL SECTIONS This invention generally relates to lift apparatus and more particularly to novel and improved lift apparatus for raising wall sections and the like.

In the construction trade, and particularly the home and light commercial building trade, the walls are fabricated or assembled in a prone or horizontal position in sections of the required length and then raised to an upright position. It is a customary practice to make these wall sections using a skeletal frame of wooden beams and cover one face with sheet material, the window and door openings being cut therein and reinforced around the openings.

In the past wall sections have usually been raised by hand when enough labor was present although some attempts have been made to provide mechanical lifts or jacks for this purpose. These previous attempts to use conventional jacks have largely consisted of bulky, cumbersome hydraulic units with cables attached to the wall sections but these have not been enitrely satisfactory from the standpoint of ease and convenience of use, diff culties in transportation between sites, and excessive cost of purchase.

For the building construction trade it is highly desira ble to be able to construct a single wall section for each wall rather than make several individual wall sections of smaller lengths and raise them individually. However, wall sections of relatively long length tend to twist when raised unless there are a number of persons available to raise the wall, but this presents problems when only one or two persons are available.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide novel lift apparatus suitable for raising relatively large wall sections which is comparatively inexpensive, durable, and easy and efficient to use.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel lift apparatus suitable for raising wall panel sections which allows only one or two persons to raise rather long wall sections.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide novel lift apparatus which may utilize a conventional wooden beam of the type commonly known as a twoby-four which is available at most job sites as one element of the assembly with the other elements being relatively small parts which are easily carried from one job site to another by the contractor or the like.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a novel lift apparatus for wall sections and the like which is characterized by a movable lift member which slides up an upright support in response to the raising of the wall section and automatically locks to hold the wall section in a raised condition when the lift forces are removed and is readily disassembled after the wall has been raised.

In accordance with the present invention in a preferred form shown, there is provided a lift jack including a socket-like pivotal base body adapted to be secured to the ground and pivotal to swing about a horizontal axis, an upright support having one end releasably inserted in the socket of the base body adapted to pivot with the base body, and a movable lift member adapted to receive and support an upper end portion of the wall section and slide upwardly along the upright support which is elevated by raising the wall section. The lift member has a self-locking pivotal latch extending around a portion of the support which bites against the support to hold the wall section against downward movement and automatically releases from the support when the lift forces are applied. For largerwall sections two or more lift assemblies are located at spaced intervals along the wall section for selectively raising the wall section in incremental distances.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention-will become more apparent as the description proceeds taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the use of a pair of similar lift assemblies spaced along a fabricated wall section to raise same, the wall section as partially raised being shown in full lines and prone and upright positions being shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lower end of the wall section showing a preferred manner of attachment thereof to the floor of the build- FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation view of a lift assembly in its lowermost position showing the upper end of the wall section resting thereon;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the movable lift member and support beam assembly shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the movable lift member and support beam assembly;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the base and beam assembly;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the base shown attached to the floor; and

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the base;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along lines l0-l0 of FIG. 9.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is shown a fabricted wall section W supported on a building floor F and raised to an intermediate partially raised position by a pair of similar jack assemblies A and B located outwardly from the center of the wall section and inwardly of each end thereof for the balanced support of the wall section. The prone and upright positions for the wall section are shown in dashed lines. THe fabricated wall section W is of a conventional construction and is comprised of a plurality of laterally spaced normally upright beams including an upright beam 13 at each end, a top beam 14 and a bottom beam 15 nailed together to form a framework and a sheet material 16 secured to the outer side of the framework. Prior to raising the wall section W the bottom edge thereof is placed along a plumb line and secured in place preferably by toe-nailing the bottom beam 15 to the floor F with nails N at spaced intervals along the bottom beam 15.

Each of the jack assemblies A and B shown is of a similar construction so that a description of one applies to both. Each jack assembly shown broadly comprises a I pivotal base 21, an upright support 22, and a movable lift member 23 adapted to be assembled at the building site.'lt is understood, however, that the base and upright support may be made as a single member but, for the convenience of transporting only two small parts to each job site, the upright support is made slidably insertable into the base and is shown as a wooden beam, preferably a two-by-four construction beam usually available in quantity at all building sites.

The pivotal base 2i has a socket-like pivotal body includiog a bottom wall 26,. a pair of spaced upright end walls 27 and a pair of upright side walls 28 connected at abutting corners arranged to provide a cavity 29 with a cross section shaped and sized to slidably receive the lower end of the wooden two-by-four beam 22 which is generally retangular in shape. The side plates have offset apertures 31 and 32 adapted to receive nail fasteners 33 to releasably secure the beam to the base body. A hinge plate 3-3 is hingedly secured to bottom wall 26 adjacent one end by means of a tubular housing 35 affixed to the bottom wall 26. A pivot pin 36 is rotatable in the tubular body and in aligned tubular sections 3'7 and 38 at the end of the plate which align with the tubular body. The hinge plate projects beyond the side walls 27 and is provided with apertures 39. Fasteners 41, preferably nails, are used to secure the pivotal base to the floor F. A cylindrical leg 42 is secured to the underside of the bottom wall 26 to level the base body on the floor F.

The movable lift member 23 comprises a generally C-shaped frame portion including a guide 46, a lower leg 47 projecting outwardly from the lower end of the guide, and an upper leg 48 projecting outwardly from the upper end of the guide spaced above and parallel to the lower leg. The guide is channel-like, being U- shaped in cross section to conform to that of the rectangularly shaped beam 22 and is sized to slide freely along an end and side portions of the support beam 22 or partially surrounds the beam 22. The beam and lower legs are of a hollow oblong shape for reduced weight and are spaced apart from one another a sufficient distance to permit the upper end of the fabricated wall section to be inserted thereinto to be supported on the top surface of the lower leg 47 and to permit the wall section to slide from between the legs when it reaches the upright position. A batten or side plate 51 is secured along the outer surface at each side of the back and lower legs to secure them at right angles to one another and defines a triangular-shaped socket body into which a portion of the base is inserted in the initial lowered position, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 6.

A generally U-shaped latch portion 53 is pivotally mounted on the upper leg with a pivot 54 shown as a bolt and nut assembly which bolt extends through aligned apertures provided in the latch portion and upper leg. The latch portion includes a pair of side arms 55 and 56 joined at one end by a transverse end portion or cross bar 57 extending around and partially encompassing the support beam 22 oppositely of the guide. Side arms 56 have an angular extended portion 56a disposed at an angle to the part of the arm which extends from the cross bar to the pivot at an angle and terminates in a weight 58 which forms a counterbalance to lock the lift member against downward movement relative to the support under the weight of the wall section as described more fully hereinafter.

In the raising of a prone wall section with the above described lift apparatus, the wall section W in a prone or generally horizontal position has its bottom beam aligned along the edge of the floor F using a chalk line and preferably the bottom beam is toe-nailed to the floor by nails N. The hinge plate 343 is secured to the floor F by nails 41 and the lower end of the beam 22 is inserted into the base and fastened thereto with nails 33. The lift member 23 is slid over the support beam 11 and in the lowermost position for the lift member the upper side walls of the base insert between the plates 51 and abut against the bottom edge of back 46. The lower leg 47 is placed under a top portion of the wall section so that an upper portion of the wall section rests thereon and is carried thereby. This procedure is repeated for each additional lift jack assembly used in the lifting operation.

As lifting force is applied to the wall section adjacent the lift jack assembly such as by gripping the wall section with the hands along the top edge, the wall section is moved to a raised position W causing the latch member 53 to swing to a horizontal position 53 whereupon the cross bar is released from the support and the lift member 23 raises an incremental distance. When two lift assemblies are used as shown in FIG. 1, each is successively raised an incremental distance to prevent unduly twisting the wall section. Once the wall section is in place in the vertical position it is nailed in place by other support beams along the sides thereof and to the floor F. The lift assembly or assemblies are removed by taking the nails 41 from the base plate.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that changes in details of structure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. Lift apparatus for raising wall sections and the like from a prone to an upright position comprising:

an upright support having a base portion pivotally mounted on a support surface,

a lift member adapted to slide along the upright support, said lift member including a frame portion having a guide shaped to partially surround a section of the support, a lower leg projecting outwardly from the guide adapted to provide a rest for an upper end portion of the wall section, an upper leg projecting outwardly from the guide above said lower leg adapted to be engaged by the upper end portion of the wall section when lifting forces are applied thereto and a latch arm portion connectd to said frame portion and partially surrounding a section of the support oppositely of said guide, said latch arm portion being adapted to move between a released position wherein the frame portion slides free relative to the support when the wall section is lifted and a locked position wherein the latch arm portion bears against the support to automatically lock the lift member against downward movement under the weight of the wall section when the lifting forces are removed.

2. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said upright support is in the form of an elongated beam releasably secured at its lower end to a separate pivotal base.

3. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pivotal base includes a socket-like body with a cavity sized and shaped to slidably receive the lower end of sid beam and a hinge plate pivotally secured to the bottom and adjacent one end of said socket-like body whereby said body will pivot about a horizontal axis.

4. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said hinge plate has apertures adapted to receive fasteners to secure the socket-like body to a support surface.

5. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said beam is a conventional two-by-four type wooden beam.

6. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim l wherein said guide is channel-like in form having a generally U- shaped cross section.

7. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said upper and lower legs are generally hollow and oblongshaped in transverse cross section.

8. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said lower leg is connected adjacent the lower end of said guide and side plates along the sides thereof define a socket section adapted to receive said socket-like body to position said body in alignment with said guide for the insertion of said beam through said latch arm and guide and into the socket-like body.

9. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said latch arm portion is generally U-shaped including spaced side arms connected at adjacent ends by a cross bar portion, opposite portions of said side arms being pivotally connected to said upper leg, one of said arms having an inclined extension to said upper leg, one of said arms having an inclined extension beyond the pivot terminating in a weight adapted to automatically move the cross bar portion in a counterbalance action agains the upright support means to lock against downward movement of the wall section.

' 10. Lift apparatus for raising wall sections and the like from a prone to an upright position comprising:

a pivotal base including a socket-like body and a pivot plate pivotally secured to said body, said pivot plate being adapted to fasten to a support surface to permit the body to. swing about a horizontal axis,

an elongated support beam having a lower end portion inserted into said body to be supported in an upright position and pivot with said body, and

a movable lift member including a C-shaped frame portion having a channel-like back partially surrounding the support beam to slidably move along the support beam, a lower leg projecting outwardly I from the guide to provide a rest for an upper end portion of the wall section and an upper leg projecting outwardly from the guide above said lower leg adapted to be engaged by the wall section to move the lift member when lifting forces are apmember slides freely relative to the support beam and a locked position wherein the cross bar bites into the support beam under the weight of the wall section.

11. Lift apparatus for raising wall sections and the like from a prone to an upright position comprising:

a pivotal base including a socket-like body and a pivot plate pivotally secured to the bottom of said body, said pivot plate being adapted to fasten to a support surface,

an elongated wooden support beam adapted to releasably insert into said socket-like body to pivot with said body, v means releasab y fastening said beam to said body,

a movable lift member including a frame portion having a channel-like guide partially surrounding the support beam to slidably move along the support beam, a lower leg projecting outwardly from the guide adapted to provide a .rest for an upper end portion of a wall section and an upper leg projecting outwardly from the guide above said lower leg adapted to be engaged by the wall section to' move the lift member when lifting forces are applied to said wall section, and a latch arm portion pivotally connected to said upper leg having a pair of side arms and a cross bar at one end adapted to swing between a released position wherein the lift member slides freely relative to the support beam and a locked position wherein the cross bar bites against the support beam under the weight of the wall section, the locked position of said cross bar being established by a counterweight on one of said side arms. 12. Lift apparatus for raising a wall section comprising in combination:

lift assemblies positioned at spaced intervals along the wall section, each said lift assembly including an upright support having a base portion pivotally mounted on a support surface, 7 a lift member adapted to move up the. upright support including a guide portion partially surrounding a section of the support, a lower rest projecting outwardly from the guide on which an upper portion of the wall section is seated, an upper portion projecting outwardly from the guide above the rest engaged by the wall section when lifting forces are applied thereto and a latch arm partially surrounding a section of the support adapted to release from the support when the wall section is raised and latch against downward movementwhen lifting forces are removed whereby the wall section s raised by alternately applying lift forces to the wall section adjacent each of said lift assemblies;

in m m a a 

1. Lift apparatus for raising wall sections and the like from a prone to an upright position comprising: an upright support having a base portion pivotally mounted on a support surface, a lift member adapted to slide along the upright support, said lift member including a frame portion having a guide shaped to partially surround a section of the support, a lower leg projecting outwardly from the guide adapted to provide a rest for an upper end portion of the wall section, an upper leg projecting outwardly from the guide above said lower leg adapted to be engaged by the upper end portion of the wall section when lifting forces are applied thereto and a latch arm portion connectd to said frame portion and partially surrounding a section of the support oppositely of said guide, said latch arm portion being adapted to move between a released position wherein the frame portion slides free relative to the support when the wall section is lifted and a locked position wherein the latch arm portion bears against the support to automatically lock the lift member against downward movement under the weight of the wall section when the lifting forces are removed.
 2. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said upright support is in the form of an elongated beam releasably secured at its lower end to a separate pivotal base.
 3. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pivotal base includes a socket-like body with a cavity sized and shaped to slidably receive the lower end of said beam and a hinge plate pivotally secured to the bottom and adjacent one end of said socket-like body whereby said body will pivot about a horizontal axis.
 4. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said hinge plate has apertures adapted to receive fasteners to secure the socket-like body to a support surface.
 5. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said beam is a conventional two-by-four type wooden beam.
 6. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said guide is channel-like in form having a generally U-shaped cross section.
 7. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said upper and lower legs are generally hollow and oblong-shaped in transverse cross section.
 8. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said lower leg is connected adjacent the lower end of said guide and side plates along the sides thereof define a socket section adapted to receive said socket-like body to position said body in alignment with said guide for the insertion of said beam through said latch arm and guide and into the socket-like body.
 9. Lift apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said latch arm portion is generally U-shaped including spaced side arms connected at adjacent ends by a cross bar portion, opposite portions of said side arms being pivotally connected to said upper leg, one of said arms having an inclined extension to said upper leg, one of said arms having an inclined extension beyond the pivot terminating in a weight adapted to automatically move the cross bar portion in a counterbaLance action against the upright support means to lock against downward movement of the wall section.
 10. Lift apparatus for raising wall sections and the like from a prone to an upright position comprising: a pivotal base including a socket-like body and a pivot plate pivotally secured to said body, said pivot plate being adapted to fasten to a support surface to permit the body to swing about a horizontal axis, an elongated support beam having a lower end portion inserted into said body to be supported in an upright position and pivot with said body, and a movable lift member including a C-shaped frame portion having a channel-like back partially surrounding the support beam to slidably move along the support beam, a lower leg projecting outwardly from the guide to provide a rest for an upper end portion of the wall section and an upper leg projecting outwardly from the guide above said lower leg adapted to be engaged by the wall section to move the lift member when lifting forces are applied to said wall section, said frame portion having a socket-like section at the lower end adapted to receive the upper end of said base body to align it with said guide, and a latch portion pivotally connected to said frame portion having a pair of side arms and a cross bar at one end and a counterweight oppositely of the cross bar adapted to swing between a released position wherein the lift member slides freely relative to the support beam and a locked position wherein the cross bar bites into the support beam under the weight of the wall section.
 11. Lift apparatus for raising wall sections and the like from a prone to an upright position comprising: a pivotal base including a socket-like body and a pivot plate pivotally secured to the bottom of said body, said pivot plate being adapted to fasten to a support surface, an elongated wooden support beam adapted to releasably insert into said socket-like body to pivot with said body, means releasably fastening said beam to said body, a movable lift member including a frame portion having a channel-like guide partially surrounding the support beam to slidably move along the support beam, a lower leg projecting outwardly from the guide adapted to provide a rest for an upper end portion of a wall section and an upper leg projecting outwardly from the guide above said lower leg adapted to be engaged by the wall section to move the lift member when lifting forces are applied to said wall section, and a latch arm portion pivotally connected to said upper leg having a pair of side arms and a cross bar at one end adapted to swing between a released position wherein the lift member slides freely relative to the support beam and a locked position wherein the cross bar bites against the support beam under the weight of the wall section, the locked position of said cross bar being established by a counterweight on one of said side arms.
 12. Lift apparatus for raising a wall section comprising in combination: lift assemblies positioned at spaced intervals along the wall section, each said lift assembly including an upright support having a base portion pivotally mounted on a support surface, a lift member adapted to move up the upright support including a guide portion partially surrounding a section of the support, a lower rest projecting outwardly from the guide on which an upper portion of the wall section is seated, an upper portion projecting outwardly from the guide above the rest engaged by the wall section when lifting forces are applied thereto and a latch arm partially surrounding a section of the support adapted to release from the support when the wall section is raised and latch against downward movement when lifting forces are removed whereby the wall section is raised by alternately applying lift forces to the wall section adjacent each of said lift assemblies. 